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| Canyoneering | 2.50 Miles |
2 AEG |
| | Canyoneering | 2.50 Miles | | | |
| 2 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Ah, Waterholes, you stole my heart... and blew my mind! What an amazing canyon. Definitely a great challenge, both physically and mentally. We dropped in early Saturday morning to find the canyon dusted with snow, making it even more beautiful. With heavy packs and tons of gear, we made our way through the many amazing rappels, downclimbs and narrows. We leapfrogged through and quickly made it to the zipline spot where we got held up for a bit as we ran into another group going through. They were awesome and set up the zipline for us so no one had to brave the frigid pond (complete with a dead duck floating in it...).
We continued on to the staging area for the "Big Drop", where we went over the rappel sequence one last time. Before I knew it, it was my turn to do the 3-stager, the part I was most nervous about. Focus, focus, focus. First came the super-awkward crack squeeze down to the first ledge. Here I stopped and took it all in, doing a reality check and asking myself "do you realize you are seriously standing here in a tiny nook partway down a 400' wall?!? I felt surprisingly calm at this realization. Then down to the Edge of the World anchor, switched ropes while an angel kept me calm, then continued on the rest of the 300' down. It was a peaceful ride down, it was unbelievable how far away the ground looked though. Made it down safe & sound, with tired hands and a huge smile... wahoooo!!!
After a clean rope pull, some group shots and a few more rappels, we finally made it to the Colorado River. Rafting down a hypothermic river, at sunset, on a pool toy no less... this was the other part of the trip that I was anxious about. We were not there for more than a few minutes before some nice fishermen in a boat pulled up and asked if we wanted a ride back to Lee's Ferry. I couldn't believe this, as earlier in the day I had secretly made a wish that this exact thing would happen!! But alas, after hauling those packrafts around all day, we decided to take the adventurous route and float the river instead. With the bright moon to light the way, it took us 1.5 hours to paddle back to Lee's Ferry, where some friends awaited to help us load up gear and head back to camp.
It was an unforgettable adventure with an incredible group of people, of which I feel very grateful for! Adding to the day, we also came upon the wall scribblings of the Swiss man who was rescued out of the canyon 2 weeks ago after spending 3 nights stranded in there. How he made it down with no gear and didn't fall/die is beyond me. He had etched all kinds of things into the wall, a lot of it sounded like he was losing his grip on his sanity (understandable, considering the spot he was stuck at). It felt to me like it was his last will and testament, both fascinating and sad to read. But of all the things we found scratched in the wall, the one that stuck out to me the most read: "Love is all one needs." That pretty much sums it all up, don't you think? |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
I did feel a bit overwhelmed with the awkwardness of it all at first but soon figured it out and found myself having a blast while maneuvering through these beautiful sandstone walls, even through complete darkness in some spots. The canyon opened up pretty quickly, followed by a long open walk to the lower section(where the infamous chockstone is located).
